Raindrops Reflections

Here’s what happens when hoping for a perfect day turns into hoping for a somewhat not rainy day. And that’s what I got. No sunburn, no bugs, no heatstroke. Instead of whining about the weather, I made the most of the light mist by letting it help me create the inexact lines as I drew with my whittled stick dipped in ink. This approach kept me from being too cautious as I drew the Christian Science Center building and reflecting pool –designed by I. M. Pei–world famous architect. Awestruck. Good thing I didn’t know this before I started. I did a quick pencil sketch in my sketchbook to assess the overall design of my painting. (Each participating artist was working on a square 14×14 format in their choice of medium.) Because the weather was so poor and threatening to downpour at any moment, I got right to work and drew directly with onto my Arches cold press watercolor paper for approximately two hours. A few ducks checked out my progress as I worked next to the beautifully reflecting pond with white caps at times. It appeared the sky would hold off so I added the subtle tones of neutral colors suggesting the stone surfaces and highlighted some of the reflections in the water at the bottom of this drawing. I flicked my brush a couple of times to add the raindrips as a memory of the day. Hope you enjoy my messy, uncommon, friendly view. Art is available at Copley Society of Art in Boston. http://www.copleysociety.org